


Evening of Innocence

by Sylnashura



Series: A New Dawn [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 09:23:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20871899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylnashura/pseuds/Sylnashura
Summary: Lissa and Maribelle have a very heartfelt conversation.





	Evening of Innocence

**Author's Note:**

> Before you read: of the currently 3 entries in this series, this is probably the least capable of standing on its own, both in a contextual sense and in a "this doesn't exactly have something that could pass as an ending???" sense, so consider reading the other two entries first. I should be getting the final part (probably final, at least) up within a day or two of posting this.

As the back door opens, the scent of Lissa's fresh cookies assaults Maribelle, with the soft, warm light from the kitchen acting as in tandem as a beacon, beckoning them to enter further into their home. The gentle chirping of crickets is cut off as the door closes, leaving the pair in near-silence for a moment. 

"You've really made our home smell wonderful, darling." she coos at the still-flustered Lissa as she guides her into their sparsely furnished living room, dark but for the gentle glow spilling from the kitchen. 

She turns on a lamp, dispelling the darkness and revealing several boxes yet to be unpacked and takes a seat in the nearby recliner. Lissa remains standing for a few seconds, then quietly does the same. 

"Lissa," Maribelle speaks suddenly, worry creasing her brow, "You are unusually absent at the moment. Are you feeling alright?"

Her response is slow, but, after a couple seconds, she seems to snap back to reality. "Ah, yeah, I'm fine." She smiles, a little too wide, perhaps. "I'm just thinking is all. Oh, I should probably go clean up the kitchen before it gets too late!" She pops out of the chair and hurries off, not leaving much room for conversation on the matter.

"I-if you say so, darling." Maribelle mutters, more to herself than anything. "No use in pushing the matter if she's not ready to talk about it yet." She opens her book to read, determined to give her wife the time and space she needs.

She's rather enjoying the book, a thrilling realistic fiction novel involving a court case and much back and forth by the various participants in the trial as the protagonist desperately attempts to find the truth of the matter. The clatter of various pieces of kitchenware fades into the background as she loses herself in the tale. Then, that fades away as well as she drifts into a light, peaceful sleep.

A distant, muffled sound catches her attention, distracting her as she tries to work this problem out. "A Bell? There's no bell here." She focuses again, so close to the truth now. "If he was here… but why would he be there? It doesn't make sense!" She feels almost as if something were touching her shoulder as that sound reaches out to her again. "Harry… Wells? I don't know who that is." One last attempt. She plays everything through her head once more. "So if I assume he _wasn't_ there, who could have done this?" Realization strikes her, leaving her feeling as if somebody were gently shaking her shoulders. "He's innocent!" she shouts, eyes opening abruptly, greeted by Lissa hunched over her, face very near to her own. Her wife meets her gaze, face filled with equal parts confusion and amusement.

Lissa retreats a step, standing upright with a giggle. "Who's innocent, Maribelle?" A playful smirk dances across her face.

"I-I was," she pauses, nearly as flustered as she'd been on the day Lissa proposed. "I was dreaming about my novel." She finally manages to respond, a furious blush coloring her cheeks. "I believe the defendant is--" she cuts herself off midsentence, regaining some of her composure as she begins explaining. "_Ahem_, that is, in my dream, it made sense that the defendant was innocent, but I'm sure any evidence I found there won't line up with the novel. I suppose that makes the whole thing inconclusive. The dream, then, was nothing more than a flight of fancy wherein I could solve a trial in an exceedingly dramatic fashion." Finishing, she looks to Lissa, who was listening intently with a goofy smile on her face. "And what is so amusing anyway?!" She feigns outrage as best she can, but begins laughing despite herself, setting Lissa off in the process. After a few moments of this, Maribelle recollects herself with a large sigh. "It is good to see you are feeling better, darling." She leans forward to delicately take Lissa's hands in her own, the point of contact acting as an anchor as she cautiously follows up with her query. "May I ask what was bothering you earlier?"

"Well," she begins, hesitant. "I think… it's just kind of silly. I mean I wasn't upset or anything." she fidgets uncomfortably, shifting her weigh from one foot to the other. "I really was thinking about a lot of different stuff. About you, ya know?"

The woman's brow furrows with concern as she blinks twice, taken aback. "Well you _must_ elaborate now, darling. That's exceptionally vague and somewhat ominous, besides." She pauses, considering whether she should say the next bit or not. "Hopefully you weren't thinking anything bad, were you? I mean, you said you weren't upset, but…" she trails off midsentence, a thumb running over her index finger nervously. Her grasp on Lissa's hands goes a bit slack in the process.

"Wha-- No! Of course not, Maribelle!" She adjusts her hands, interlacing her fingers with her wife's. "I was thinking about how lucky I am to be married to you! I mean, you're my best friend in the whole world!" Her passion sets her body language alight as she becomes more animated, although it's subdued by the fact she's still holding Maribelle's hands in her own. "Seriously, how many people get to do that? Like _really_ do that? It's like a fairytale!" 

"Well, I completely agree, but is that really all that was bothering you?" She stands up, now caressing the back of Lissa's hand with her thumb. "That's fine if so!" She quickly adds, remembering her earlier determination not to push or pry. "It just seemed you were so uncharacteristically quiet, I thought something might be really worrying you."

Lissa averts her gaze, just for a second before, with a hefty sigh, she finally speaks. "Okaaaay it's just… Here's the thing I _really_ thought was silly." She takes a deep breath, then exhales, centering herself before she begins. "So, of all the things you've called me… That is, you called me 'princess' earlier, and I don’t think you've ever done that before."

She's still tracing circles on Lissa's hand as she replies. "Well, you're right that I've called you many different things," she muses, "and I don't _believe_ I have called you a princess before in any capacity. Was it not to your liking, then?" She watches Lissa surreptitiously, as she awaits a response, not wanting to pressure her now that she's opening up about this.

"No! Uh, I mean I liked it." Lissa fidgets, unable to express just what it is she's feeling. "It just… caught me off guard, is all," the words finally start flowing, the young woman becoming more animated as rambles, with her thoughts leaving her mouth as soon as they are formed. "and I-I know you never say things you don't mean but sometimes I can't tell when you're joking and it's not like I'm saying I think you were joking, but I keep thinking about if you were 'cause, ya know, you've never said that before and it was so sudden, so if it was a joke, then I…" she pauses, finally bringing the cascade under control. "Did you mean it? Do I really make you think of a princess?"

For once, Maribelle seems truly at a loss for words. "Darling, I-- that is, _of course_ I meant it." She pauses, grasping for words carefully. "Was... was there something I did, or some part of what I said to make you doubt that?" Her expression is wound tight with concern, her grip, and the path of her thumb, becoming more rigid unconsciously.

Lissa shakes her head. "No, it's nothing like that, I just…" she sighs, searching for the words with which to bare her soul. "Well, you know I've never been exactly ladylike. Even something like baking cookies has always been," she pauses, looking at the walls as if what she wanted to say would be written upon them. "well it was more Emm's thing, and I just," she shrugs gently, exhaustion catching up to her. "I guess I've just never had anybody call me anything like that and I always kinda wanted to be a princess when I was little. It just never felt right to act like that."

"Oh, darling," She pulls the woman carefully into a tentative embrace. "To think all this time I never knew something so important to you!" Worry is still clear on her face, but she's intent on comforting her wife, who returns the hug, and they stand in silence for a long moment.

Lissa pulls back a bit. "Hey, Maribelle?" she asks in a quiet voice, frayed from her emotional outpouring. "D-do you think you could say it again?" she's wary, still a somewhat guarded as she explains herself. "I know it's childish, but… I liked it." 

Not wanting to close the distance that Lissa had just created between them, Maribelle tries her best to soothe and quiet her partner. "Of course, darling. Whatever makes you happy." A fiery blush creeps across her cheeks, her voice a loud whisper now. "You are my princess after all."

With the strained giggle of a person whose body isn't sure if it should be laughing or crying, Lissa inches closer. "You're blushing, Maribelle!" A huge grin spreads across her face as she stares misty-eyed at her best friend. "Well if I'm your princess, then you're the greatest treasure in my castle!" she gestures around her and closes the remaining distance between them, planting a light, sweet kiss on Maribelle's cheek.

"I'm a treasure, am I?" She quirks an eyebrow up, playfulness filling her expression. "I'd rather be somebody capable of engaging with you on equal footing than a prize to be kept by you." She kisses Lissa, gentle and ever so brief, the light tingle of contact on their lips the only proof it even happened. "But I suppose if I must be somebody's treasure, I can live quite happily belonging to you, darling."

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, so this was originally going to be just for the luck/treasure prompt, but ended up getting tied in so heavily to the youth/peace prompt and ideas I had for it that I just sorta combined them. It's just how the scene flowed! Originally they were gonna talk about stuff after Maribelle woke up in the middle of the night to find a Lissa who couldn't sleep but like... I can't control them and they did this instead :vv
> 
> Uh, okay so I imagine even when Maribelle manages to sleep with something on her mind, she's the type that would carry that concern into her dreams. She never truly stops until she resolves it, ya know? Plus it made for a nice exploration of her interest in law/justice AND a time skip without, I hope, feeling too out of place. Ah, I don't imagine Maribelle would play video games, but I think she'd enjoy figuring out who is guilty in Ace Attorney, even if she might find the wildly inaccurate trials to be frustrating at times. Maybe Lissa plays it and Maribelle watches along, offering ideas when she has them? Just a side thought haha.


End file.
